


When Your Path Crossed My Happily Ever After

by verbaeghe



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, M/M, No Angst. Only Fluff., Slice of Life, Tampa Bay Lightning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-07 19:15:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15914562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/verbaeghe/pseuds/verbaeghe
Summary: “Like you told me your name when we met?”“I told you my name!”“Yeah, after we made out like teenagers for fifteen minutes.” Braydon can’t help but smile at the way Slater is getting worked up; the flush high on his cheeks is beautiful.“I was…” Slater sighs. “We were in Calgary! I was leaving the next day and you were staying, and, you know, Jake kept telling me not to, but then we couldn’t stay away from one another and once we kissed it was just so...I didn’t want to be known in your stories forever as ‘that nameless harlot you made out with at a wedding once’.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lecavayay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lecavayay/gifts).
  * Inspired by [When Your Path Crossed Mine](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11530137) by [Lecavayay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lecavayay/pseuds/Lecavayay). 



Braydon looks blankly out on hotel row as his plane makes its approach into Pearson. He’s wondering about his and Slater’s future -- if they even have one. They’ve been doing this back and forth across the country thing for two years now, and he's just...not sure.

Braydon really wants to have a future with Slater, but he just doesn’t know where they stand.

He turns on his phone as soon as he gets the all-clear after landing. There’s one text from Slater saying that he’s arrived and will be waiting by luggage claim.

And, huh. Just the one and it isn’t very, well, Slater.

But still, Braydon doesn’t really worry until he arrives at luggage claim to find Slater without a cute sign declaring that he’s there for BRAYDON COBURN. There’s usually hearts and everything, but today it’s just Slater standing there, fidgeting with his ball cap and just generally looking uncomfortable.

“Hey,” Braydon puts on a smile, adjusts the strap of his carry-on. He leans in and presses a kiss to Slater’s cheek. Slater doesn’t pull away, but he doesn’t lean in, but he hardly reciprocates, and--

Okay, it’s sort of starting to be alarming.

The thirty-minute ride to Slater’s place is kind of tense, weird, and too silent. Braydon doesn’t like it at all.

“So, what are we doing today?” Braydon asks once they’ve arrived at Slater’s apartment. Slater looks at him with wide eyes.

“How about a movie?” he suggests after a minute. Braydon isn’t opposed to snuggling in a dark theater, but they’ve always done these fun little dates that are a great reflection of who Slater is. The Hockey Hall of Fame and a walk along the lake shore with ice cream, or a leisurely stroll through the St. Lawrence Market.

They’ve never just ‘gone to a movie’.

“Um, okay,” Braydon sort of sags. “I’ll go freshen up.”

 //

“Hey, sorry, scratch that,” Slater’s hanging up his phone when Braydon returns. “There’s some stupid emergency at work that they can’t solve without me, and so I have to go in even though today’s my first day of vacation.”

Slater does look annoyed, so it’s either true or he’s a really good actor. And, in Braydon’s personal experience, he isn’t.

“Okay,” Braydon says. “I can just entertain myself here, no problem.”

“We do have reservations tonight, so make sure you dress up nice for dinner.”

“Right, sure,” Braydon says to Slater’s already retreating backside.

The door closing sounds louder than it should, Braydon is pretty sure.

//  
  
The restaurant is nice, somewhere they haven’t been before. Slater is wearing That Tie. It still looks so damn good on him, but everything still feels off, and Braydon can’t just keep sitting here being consumed by all of this worry.

“Do you not want to do this anymore? Are we breaking up?” Braydon doesn’t sound as controlled as he wants, but he might be losing Slater, and he isn’t ready for that. “Look, I know the distance is hard, but I think we’re worth it, and I thought you did too.” Braydon pauses, swallows. “D-do you _not_ think that anymore?”

“You don’t love me!”

“Wait, what?” Braydon blinks, confused.

“If you loved me, if there was going to be _more_ to us, you would have said you loved me by now, but you haven’t! So you don’t!”

The words don’t sound like Slater’s own, and Braydon has an idea of where they came from, but Jake is the least of his worries right now.

Actually, this isn’t a worry. He can solve this easily.

“You haven’t said that you love me either, babe.”

“Haven’t I?” Slater cocks his head, pulling his lips to the side. “I’m pretty sure that I must have at some point.”

“Like you told me your name when we met?”

“I told you my name!”

“Yeah, after we made out like teenagers for fifteen minutes.” Braydon can’t help but smile at the way Slater is getting worked up; the flush high on his cheeks is beautiful.

“I was…” Slater sighs. “We were in Calgary! I was leaving the next day and you were staying, and, you know, Jake kept telling me not to, but then we couldn’t stay away from one another and once we kissed it was just so...I didn’t want to be known in your stories forever as ‘that nameless harlot you made out with at a wedding once’.”

“You were never going to be a nameless harlot,” Braydon is trying not to laugh; it’s a near thing.

“No?”

“Nah, I was going to look your name up on the registry.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s better. ‘I made out with some harlot. His name was Slater’.” Slater slouches back into his seat. “This isn’t going the way I intended.”

“Slater, do you?” Braydon asks, leaning forward and reaching for his hand.

“Do I what?” Slater blinks over at him. Braydon raises his eyebrows. “Oh, yes! Of course I love you!”

“I love you too,” Braydon pulls Slater in, smiling into their kiss when their lips meet. He’s relieved to find out that they’re pretty much on the same page after all.

It’s amazing what actually talking can do for a situation.

“Let’s go back to your place,” Braydon suggests.

“That is the best idea you’ve had since you split that pierogi in half,” Slater replies, flagging for the waiter.

//

“I think that I’ve had some pretty decent ideas more recently than the pierogi one,” Braydon says as Slater snaps the front door closed.

“What?” Slater blinks up at him when Braydon crowds him up against the door.

“Like when I walked up to you and asked you to get a drink with me right after watching you dance with your supposed boyfriend?” Braydon leans in, kisses Slater slowly. He loves the quiet whine that escapes the back of Slater’s throat when he pulls away. “That was a pretty good idea.”

“Uh, yeah, it was. I was a big fan of seeing you up close,” Slater replies distractedly, trying to pull Braydon down into another kiss.

Braydon isn’t done yet. “Asking you to dance was a good idea until the DJ ruined it.”

Slater pauses, smiles fondly. “You still haven’t learned Cotton Eye Joe,” he says, running a finger along Braydon’s jaw.

“Finding you again, making a move. Also a good idea.” Braydon scoops Slater up by his thighs, pressing him into the door as he whispers, “And pressing up against that tree while I mapped out every inch of your neck with my lips was _almost_ my best idea that night.” Braydon leans in and tries to recreate the path along Slater’s neck from memory. He’s pretty successful, if the way that Slater’s fingers tangle in his hair is anything to go by.

“What was, um, what’s your best idea?” Slater is Braydon’s favorite kind of out-of-breath.

“My best idea,” Braydon lets Slater slide back down to his feet while his fingers go to the knot of Slater’s tie, “was stealing _this_ ,” Braydon tugs Slater to him, “so I had a reason to contact you later.”

Slater moans when Braydon pulls Slater’s lips to his own.

“I have a new idea that I’m pretty sure you’ll like,” Braydon says between kisses.

“Yeah, and what’s that?” he asks when Braydon lets his lips stray back to Slater’s neck.

“I think you know,” Braydon replies before biting at the spot where Slater’s shoulder meets his neck.

“Oh, god, I sure do,” Slater moans in reply, grabbing for Braydon’s hand and pulling him down the hall towards the bedroom.


	2. Chapter 2

“How was your first day at the new office, babe?” Braydon asks over his shoulder when Slater walks into the kitchen.

“The only thing I thought about all day was what we’d be doing when I got home to you.” Slater puts a hand on top of Braydon’s, stopping him. “And I arrive to find you chopping green peppers?”

“Well, I thought you might want to eat,” Braydon says, placing the knife down and turning, leaning against the counter as he pulls Slater into his arms.

“Oh, I _do_ ,” Slater replies, running a hand down Braydon’s face and to his chest, bunching the material of Braydon's shirt in his fist.

Braydon isn’t dumb enough to turn down such an amazing offer. He picks Slater up, throwing him over his shoulder and heads for the bedroom.

“Whoa, hey! I could have walked.” Slater’s laughing, so Braydon figures they’re all good as is. “I do sort of like this view though,” Slater adds, smacking Braydon’s ass.

Yeah, it’s fine.

The cutest little squeak of a noise escapes Slater when Braydon tosses him down on the bed. Braydon almost pauses to linger over the sound, but there are numerous things he could be doing that would be much better. So he crawls across the bed, straddling Slater, boxes him in as he leans in and kisses him.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Braydon says, nuzzling Slater’s nose.

“Mmm, me too,” Slater replies before surprising Braydon when he flips their positions. “Maybe I like this better though.” Slater leans in, kissing Braydon thoroughly, his hands running up the length of Braydon’s arms.

Slater unexpectedly grips at Braydon’s wrists, pressing them into the mattress a bit. Braydon’s moan of surprise is swallowed by Slater, who tightens his hold.

“You like that, do you?” Slater growls on his lips. Braydon nods and Slater sits up, his hands going to the waistband of Braydon’s sweats.

“All I wanted all day long was to get back here so I could be under you in this bed.” Slater pushes Braydon’s pants down. “But I’m not averse to having you under me, either.”

“Oh, shit, Slater,” Braydon manages. Slater smirks at him before reaching for the lube on the bedside table. He opens his mouth to say something else, but Slater’s slicked up hand is already on him so all that comes out is a breathless whine.

“That’s what I like to hear,” Slater nuzzles his cheek, bites at his ear. “But not as much as I like hearing you come.”

The words _almost_ do the trick, but luckily Braydon is not a school boy and this is not his first rodeo. He places his hand on Slater’s, stilling him.

“Well, maybe you should fuck me, then.”

Slater grins. “Gladly.”

Slater preps him slowly, almost taunting him with it. Nothing makes him speed up, not whining, not egging him on, not trying to speed the process up himself, nothing. Slater just keeps with his slow slides, barely stretching him at all.

He’s definitely taunting Braydon, the asshole.

Sweat is dripping down Braydon’s temple, and he’s _this close_ to crying when Slater finally decides that it’s enough and reaches for the condom. He makes a show of slipping it on and slathering it with lube before he finally lines up and pushes in--

Pauses. He pauses, because he’s the absolute worst and wants Braydon to throw him out of bed.

“I guess you don’t want to fuck me, then?” Braydon asks. He somehow sounds annoyed and not as distraught as he actually is, but even he doesn’t know how he manages.

“Maybe I want you to beg,” Slater cocks his head.

“What happened to gladly?”

Slater leans in, kisses Braydon slowly, thoroughly, then whispers, “Maybe I just wanted to kiss you one more time before we got down to business.” He pushes in and Braydon reaches for his shoulders, his grip tight as he breathes through it. Slater pauses when his hips hit Braydon’s ass. “Mmm, you’re gonna leave marks. Like that.”

Braydon jerkily nods in agreement, his eyes still squeezed shut.

“Hey,” Slater’s voice has gone gentle, sweet even. Braydon blinks up at him slowly. “I love you, you know?”

“I love you too,” Braydon replies. Slater smiles at him before leaning in. Their lips have hardly brushed together when Slater starts moving. _Finally_.

Braydon grasps at any part of Slater he can reach while Slater sets an almost punishing pace as they exchange kisses that are more huffing into one another’s mouths than anything else. They’re hot and sweaty and Braydon doesn’t know how long he can last with Slater going this hard.

“God, this is so good; you’re so fucking hot,” Slater’s breath has gone all jagged, Braydon knows that he’s close too.

Braydon pulls a hand away from Slater’s back and cups his face. “I’m not as hot as you,” he says before sliding his hand to Slater’s neck and pulling him into a kiss.

Braydon swallows every sweet sound that escapes Slater while he comes undone.

Slater collapses on top of him. Braydon smiles as he caresses Slater, thumbs over crescent-shaped marks on his shoulders, plays with his hair a bit.

“I’m going to take care of you in a minute, I swear, I just need to recover fr--”

“Marry me.”

Slater goes up onto his elbows, looks down at Braydon with wide eyes. “Am I hearing you right? Did you just…?” Braydon nods. “And you meant it?”

“I wanted to live with you, and you came here so we could be together now rather than later. Don’t you want it too?” Braydon was so sure a moment ago, but maybe Slater doesn’t want this with him right now, and--

“Don’t be silly.” Slater presses their lips together firmly. “I was going to ask you in a couple of months, when I was sure you could stand living with me.”

Braydon laughs. “I’m pretty sure we’re okay.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” They smile goofily at one another for a minute before they remember the state they’re in and laugh. Slater takes Braydon’s dick into his hand and quickly works him back up.

“Of course I’ll marry you,” he whispers in Braydon's ear, sending him crashing right over the edge.


	3. Chapter 3

Slater is pacing about in a panic on the morning of their wedding. “It’s all stupid and grey outside! Where’s the dumb sun?! We need the sun!”

“Hey, hey.” Braydon chases him down, grabs his hands, rubbing them gently in an attempt to calm him down. “The sun doesn’t matter, babe.”

“But the day we met! It was--”

“No, Slater.” Braydon runs a hand along his shoulder. “That wasn’t our day. It was just when we met. Today is ours, and today the sun isn’t out because it knows that it couldn’t complete with you.”

Slater smiles at him, all bashful and sweet. “You always say just the right thing, darlin’.”

“I do what I can,” Braydon presses a kiss to Slater’s forehead. “Now, let’s get dressed so we aren't late to our own wedding.”

"Can't be late when it's your own," Slater says with a smirk as he pulls his sleep shirt over his head. Braydon only watches him for a few seconds before remembering he needs to get ready too.

//

Slater looks downright ecstatic when they walk into the reception party and everyone claps for them. Braydon knows that feeling, because he couldn’t be happier if he tried.

They slowly make their way to the head table, accepting many congratulations along the way. They’re barely seated when Jake rises from his seat next to Slater and calls for attention.

“Four years ago I brought Slater to a wedding as my date.” He pauses, grins. “And now we’re here at his wedding to someone else, who he met at that wedding.” Most of the people, especially those closest to them chuckle. They’re all in-the-know about this particular origin story. “It’s okay, we never would have worked out anyway.” Jake glances over at Yanni and smiles before continuing, “So, now that I’ve said wedding so many times that it doesn’t sound like a real word anymore, I’d like to propose a toast. To Slater and Braydon, may the way they found one another be a testament to how great weddings really can be.”

There’s a general murmuring of agreement before everyone lifts their glass to their lips, aside from Slater, who leans over and clinks his glass against Braydon’s. “To being single at weddings.”

“To finding what you’re looking for in a stranger's smile,” Braydon counters. They grin at one another like the happy idiots they are before they raise the champagne to their lips.

//

Slater looks confused when the DJ calls them to the floor for their first dance and Braydon grabs a chair on the way to the floor. “Just trust me, okay?” Braydon says as he sits Slater down on the chair.

“Okay,” Slater replies, dragging the o out, suggesting that he does not trust Braydon one bit.

But Braydon has been working on this for weeks, so Slater can just sit tight for a minute.

Braydon walks out into the center of the dance floor. He raises his arms and does a little dramatic spin to greet the people crowded around the dance floor.

“This is our first dance together as a married couple, and I had a hard time picking the song that we should dance to for it.” Braydon smiles. “But then I realized that it was obvious.”

Slater just sort of looks vaguely confused, and as cute as that is, it’s time for him to put his dancing lessons to good use. Braydon points at the DJ, who nods and hits a button.

 

_If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eye Joe, I’d been married a long time ago…_

“Oh my god,” Slater blurts when Braydon’s fingers go to his invisible belt buckle.

He puts on his show, hops and scuffles, stomps and kicks, he knows he’s nailed the steps when he hears Slater hootin’ and hollerin’ at him.

No one is dancing any circles around him tonight.

Slater hops up and joins in. They do the dance together for a few bars before everyone else fills in around them.  

“You couldn’t have picked a better song, you know,” Slater says, pulling him close when the next song, a slow one, starts.  
  
“I know.” Braydon leans in for a kiss. “I love you, Mr. Coburn.”

“I love you too, Mr. Koekkoek.”

Braydon thinks, when he presses his lips to Slater’s, that he never believed that his life would be so cliche; that he would meet the love of his life at his sister’s wedding, that he would propose in the middle of sex, even learning a ridiculous dance just to impress someone who’s already been suitably impressed...all _so_ cliche.

But damn if he hasn’t loved every minute of it.

//

One last cliche happens just before they leave the reception, when Yanni proposes to Jake. 

Slater laughs. "I guess I did steal Jake's thunder once."

"Yanni asked if he could do it, I thought you'd get a kick out of and said yes." Braydon presses a kiss to Slater's temple.

"It was the perfect end to the perfect day," Slater says with a sigh.

"And the perfect start to the rest of our lives?" Braydon asks.

"God, yes," Slater replies, straddling him right there in the back seat.

Okay, _this_ is the last cliche, honest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It definitely isn't the last one.


End file.
